Chapter 31: A Question Asked in a Hurry

During dinner with her, I was able to confirm it. I like her. A lot, in fact. With her, I forget about many things. I beckoned the waitress and asked her to bring wine in a whisper. I asked for wine because I wanted to know if I had a chance for another dinner with her.

A minute later, the waitress brought the wine. Julia, who hadn't heard my order, was slightly surprised, but after a second of surprise, she sweetly smiled. Seeing her smile, I firmly decided to tell her one detail of my life.

"May I pour you some wine?" the waitress asked, to which I nodded.

After the waitress asked Julia a question, to which she also agreed, seeing that Julia didn't mind, I took the plunge.

"Um, Julia," I called her.

"Yes, James," she answered.

"I wanted to ask you a question before I ask for another dinner date," I said.

"And what did you want to know from me?" she asked, smiling.

I had convinced myself to tell her about Kate, but I simply could not come up with anything to say at the moment. I stared at her blankly, unable to find the words. Asking her if she minded talking to a married man would be foolish of me, as she would certainly not agree to have dinner with me again.

I pondered questions with each passing thought, and it felt like minutes had passed when in reality only a few seconds had gone by. She patiently waited for me to say something, while I struggled to find the right words. Finally, I spoke up.

"Would you mind having dinner with a man who is about to get divorced?" I decided to ask the question directly, but as soon as the words left my mouth, I regretted it.

I felt anxious, worried that she would decide to never speak to me again. The longer she remained silent, the more worried I became. I had lowered my gaze to the floor out of fear of her reaction.

Time passed, but no answer came. I was afraid to look at her and see an empty seat. Fear consumed me, and I finally turned to face her.

"James," she said, and I wanted to look at her but was afraid that my gesture had upset her. "Look at me. We are talking," she said.

"You asked a question. Please at least listen to the answer. Or should I doubt you after all?" she asked.

Her words gave me the courage to look up. I met her gaze, just like at the beginning of the dinner.

"I wanted to answer right away, but seeing your reaction, I decided to observe," she said, showing a small smile that appeared on the left side of her face.

Upon seeing her smile, all my fears and anxieties seemed to dissipate. But upon hearing her next words, I became slightly frightened.

"If it weren't for your words, I would have gladly agreed to another meeting," she said, pausing for a moment, which had a devastating effect on my heart. It felt as though my heart dropped.

"I was considering declining, before it became too late," she continued.

"But upon seeing your reaction, like that of a guilty teenager, I decided to give you a chance," she said with a smile, but then added quickly, "but only for a shared dinner. As you know, I am a member of the church council, and therefore cannot be with someone who is married."

Her words seemed to lift a heavy burden off of me. Breathing a heavy sigh, I thanked her and apologized for not disclosing my situation earlier.

"I'm not asking you to see me now. I'm only asking if you would have dinner with me from time to time. I really like you," I said honestly.

"We haven't been living together for a little over six months. She went to live with her parents and doesn't want to communicate with me. I held onto her, probably because of my weakness. But I've decided to let her go because there's still so much life ahead of me. So, until my divorce is finalized, would you still have dinner with me?" I asked her.

For a moment, she looked up and then said, "I understand you, James. I think I do."

"Then?" I asked.

"Seeing your situation, I've decided," she said, pausing for a moment.

"That I'll agree to have dinners with you, but only as friends. I don't want to be a third wheel," she said, adding, "Only after your divorce is finalized, we can think about other ways to approach our meetings."

I was happy. I understood why she spoke that way, it was the maximum she could give me in such a situation. Just the fact that she agreed to have dinner with me was a fairy tale gift for me. I felt that from this moment on my life began to change, I cast off the chains of my broken love for Kate. And I was also grateful to her for the beginning of our friendship, which could eventually turn into love.

"I am immensely grateful for your answer, for the chance you have given me. I agree to be friends. And I hope that during our friendship, we can get to know each other better and become closer. I will try to resolve the divorce issue as soon as possible," I said.

"Then I'll contact you myself before the next dinner," she said.

"Thank you," I replied briefly.

We finished dinner on a pleasant note. I paid for dinner and even managed to drive her home.

On the way back, I thought about the evening that had passed. I was sure that my confession about my wife and the impending divorce didn't strike too hard at her opinion of me. After all, she still agreed to be friends, and that was one of the best options I had thought of during dinner.

It was already past 11 o'clock. One could say it was almost 12. I arrived home and saw Samuel sitting at his work, just as he was yesterday. He was going through the results provided by AI, as well as talking with his team. When I took just a few steps inside the house, Samuel noticed me and asked.